One week after having released the last episode of Orwell “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree”, we are beyond happy that the complete game is finally out. The player feedback so far has been amazing and we are overjoyed about how many kind words, story analyses, soundtrack praises and inspirational quotes we have received so far.

Since all of this is not only thanks to our amazingly supportive players, but also to our wonderful team, we would like to continue our small series “Meet the Orwell Team”.

Please meet: Mathias Fischer

Here is a short interview so that you can find out more about him and his work:

What are your favorite games?

I have a slight obsession with the game Xenogears, over-analyzing it for almost 10 years, although it’s probably not as deep as I’m making it out to be. But still, a far beyond average Japanese RPG. Also, I’m heavily involved in old-school western RPGs like the Icewind Dale series and detective point-and-click, such as Gabriel Knight and Broken Sword. When it comes to outstanding experiences that do not fall into the former categories, then I can only think of „Disaster: Day of Crisis“, by far the most consequent game ever created, a mix of a disaster-movie adaptation, the Rock, wii motion controls, every gameplay mechanic you can ever think of and giant hamburgers as medipacks. It plays exactly as this sounds like and I would recommend enjoying it with alcohol on the side and a wii-zapper.

Regarding everything else, I could prepare a 3-days-straight lecture of how superior and experimental the gameboy color and the bulk of its games exactly is or that Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag is the most fun you can ever have in your life ever..:)

What kind of work did you contribute to Orwell?

I conceptualized the intro cinematic together with Daniel, Mel and Michael, which developed into creating concepts and storyboards. The following tasks were building and implementing the scene within Unreal 4, animating Characters (2D and 3D) and camera-direction / cutting within Unreal-Matinee.

Mathias did the artwork and animation for the cinematic opening scene at the beginning of Orwell.

Concept Artwork of the Freedom Plaza – An important reoccurring location.

What other projects are you currently working on?Currently, I’m working as a freelance artist in Stockholm, Sweden for various companies.

Can you tell us more about awesome projects you have worked on in the past?I spent almost half a decade as an artist with Daedalic Entertainment, helping to bring awesome point-and-click adventure games on their way. Games like „The Night of the Rabbit“ and upcoming superstars like „The Devil’s Men“ and „State of Mind“..:)

You need to return to service one last time, to complete the game with Episode Five “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree”! If you already own the game your Steam client should update the game automatically. If it doesn’t, check the game’s properties whether auto-updates are enabled.

We’re incredibly happy to have the game completed with this episode. The first chapter of Osmotic Studios is concluded. What a wild, wild ride it has been to this point. Thanks to everyone who has been on our side during this long time of development.

You need to return to service! You may now play Episode Four of Orwell, titled “Memory Hole”! If you already own the game your Steam client should update the game automatically. If it doesn’t, check the game’s properties whether auto-updates are enabled.

After the harsh outcome of last time, “Memory Hole” will let you dig deeper into the backgrounds of Thought’s members whilst they begin to make plans of their own.

The time has come to return to your job! The third episode of Orwell – “Unperson” – is now available! If you already own the game your Steam client should update the game automatically. If it doesn’t, check the game’s properties whether auto-updates are enabled.

Episode Three follows the revelations about Goldfels, Juliet and Harrison, but the focus of the investigation shifts to a new suspect. With pressure mounting on the player and their handler, Symes, the stakes have never been higher.

The moment has come. The first episode of our game Orwell has just been released as a demo on Steam and Humble Store! Every week we will launch another episode up to the final chapter that is Episode Five.

While we are getting closer and closer to releasing Orwell, we would like to introduce some of the amazing people who worked with us on our first commercial project.

Please meet: Hannes Flor

Here is a short interview so that you can find out more about him and his work:

What are your favorite games?Well well well, where to start! I do have a soft spot for adventure games, so Telltale, Wadjet Eye, and Lucas Arts (of course) are responsible for a lot of them. Monkey Island 1-3, Indy 4, Grim Fandango, Primordia, the Blackwell Series, The Walking Dead, and The Wolf Among Us are all up there (though Myst, King’s Quest 6, and Beneath a Steel Sky shan’t be forgotten either.)

Then there’s a number of titles I can’t neatly store under an umbrella, like Vampire: The Masquerade, Arcanum, Gothic, GTA Vice City, Hotline Miami, LA Noire, Call of Juarez, Trackmania Sunrise, Hexcells, and 1000 Amps. And of course Prince of Persia (2008) is just goddamn perfection.

But my absolute favorite, the ones I could talk your ear off about their amazingness for weeks on end, is the Mass Effect series. I just love Mass Effect. Love them. All of them. Best games ever made. Ever. (God, do I love them.)

What kind of work did you contribute to Orwell?I did the compositing on the intro cutscene, and I have yet to figure out a simple way to explain what that means exactly. But I basically took a video capture of the intro and placed all the 2D animations of people, birds, etc. over it in a way that makes it look like they’re actually in the scene, walking down the street and stuff. The “Orwell View,” where the citizens’ faces are tracked and matched against police records, was also one of my tasks.

Hannes did the compositing work on the intro scene for Orwell.

What other projects are you currently working on?I just started working on a small point-and-click adventure called AURORA. It’s a minimalistic scifi adventure about drive and obsession and its cost. I’m just about to finish up all the boring technical stuff, which means I soon get to start actually designing and scripting it.

I’m also involved in another project my company, Hypnotic Owl, is working on: a neat little math game about dividing numbers into their prime divisors. We call it Prime Division. But we’re still working up to an official announcement, so I shan’t say too much.

Can you tell us more about awesome projects you have worked on in the past?I was Lead Compositor on Daedalic’s A New Beginning, which I think miiiiight have something to do with me getting this job, seeing as I met Daniel there and all that. I’m also very fond of The Wizard, a dungeon puzzler about Kevin, the most handsome wizard in the whole country, who gets his gorgeous face stolen and has no choice but to chase the wretched thief through the mazes beneath the wizard academy to get it back.

But the one I’m most proud of is called The Day the Laughter Stopped, a serious interactive fiction game about consent and choice. It’s somewhat difficult to talk about because it’s very easily spoiled, but if you have a few minutes and aren’t deterred by the trigger warning, I’d love for you to check it out.

While we are getting closer and closer to releasing Orwell, we would like to introduce some of the amazing people who worked with us on our first commercial project.

Please meet: Frieda Sobiech

Here is a short interview so that you can find out more about her and her work:

What are your favorite games?This is hard to decide! I have been playing Pokemon a lot recently, all kinds of generations. I played through Spiderman Dimension and One Piece Unlimited World Red. Saints Row 4 captivated me for a couple of evenings, but then it turned into a kind of love-hate relationship, since the story was nice and freaky, but the fights drove me nuts. My all-time favorites are: Spore, Black and White 2, Journey and Spiderman 2 for Game Cube.

What kind of work did you contribute to Orwell?I was an intern for graphic design/art at Osmotic Studios and supported the team by designing websites and logos as well as creating artwork. The different kinds of websites were very interesting, for example social networks or even medical logs. I enjoyed working on the diverse characters most: young and old, slim or large, from average to crazy, all kinds of people are represented in the game.

Some of Frieda’s work for Orwell.

What other projects are you currently working on?I am currently working on my bachelor thesis, which is a graphic novel. The story unfolds around the topic “Space Adventure” and is about a space pilot named Arvin who runs into the most absurd situations and stories while travelling through the infinite universe.

Can you tell us more about awesome projects you have worked on in the past?I collaborated with a friend on one of my latest projects, that covered the topic “Nation Branding”. We created a corporate design for the fictitious city “Asgard”, which is the home of the Germanic Gods. The design was supposed to give the city a new and modern look, including business cards, a website and even an app. Besides this, I also design invitation cards and yearbooks. At the moment I try to develop my talents further and practise a lot of different kinds of styles and character designs on DeviantArt.

While we are getting closer and closer to releasing Orwell, we would like to introduce some of the amazing people who worked with us on our first commercial project.

Please meet: Stefanie Curth

Here is a short interview so that you can find out more about her and her work:

What are your favorite games?I really like games with a fascinating, deep story and beautiful art style. So some of my favorites are Journey or Bastion/Transistor. I love the environment and character design of Rayman or Ori and the Blind Forest. I am also a big fan of the Dragon Age universe, of which I own all kinds of merchandise, from the games themselves to books, comics and art books which reveal the world lore. The Witcher, Bioshock, The Last of Us and Beyond – Two Souls are also some of my all time favorites. After work, I love to play League of Legends to relax ;3

What kind of work did you contribute to Orwell?I worked as a concept artist and Illustrator for Orwell. The biggest task was to create recognizable recurring characters. The unique style I worked with was really fun to do.

Some of Stefanie’s work for Orwell.

What other projects are you currently working on?I currently work as a concept artist and animator for Sir Eatsalot, a 2D Adventure-Platformer for PS Vita. In the remaining time I am working as „jack of all trades“ artist for Brutal Hack and writing my master thesis.

Can you tell us more about awesome projects you have worked on in the past?I worked 1,5 years in a small team to create a vertical slice for the game idea of „Thirst“. My work contained concept art, 3D texturing and animation. I also participated in the last 3 InnoGames game jams and you will find me there at the next ones too.

Find out more about Stefanie here:
My homepage is currently under reconstruction, but will be available soon atwww.stefaniecurth.de

We have been working in silence since we first presented our studio debut project Orwell to you in June 2015. Today, we are proud to present our massive progress since then and finally announce that Orwell will be released in late 2016. With the support of the awesome guys from Surprise Attack Games, who are now working together with us as a publisher for the game, we are delighted to present the official trailer for Orwell:

Big Brother has arrived – and it’s you. Investigate the lives of citizens to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks. Information from the internet, personal communications and private files are all accessible to you. But, be warned, the information you supply will have consequences…

Orwell is a new governmental security program that has the power to survey the online presence of every person in The Nation. It can monitor all personal communications and access any computer. To preserve the privacy of citizens, human researchers examine the data Orwell finds and decide which pieces of information should be passed on to the security forces, and which should be rejected.

Selected from thousands of candidates, you are Orwell’s first human researcher. And when a terror attack rocks the Nation’s capital city of Bonton, Orwell, and you, are immediately put to the test. Starting with a single person of interest, you’ll help the security forces build out and profile a network of potential culprits.

But are these people really terrorists? What does the information you reveal to Orwell say about them? What if you find out things about them that not even their loved ones know? What is the real price of maintaining the security that the Nation is yearning for?

Key Features

Investigate the digital lives of citizens. Search web pages, scour through social media posts, dating site profiles, news articles and blogs to find those responsible for a series of terror attacks.

Determine the relevance of information. Only the information you provide will be seen by the security forces and acted upon. You decide what gets seen and what does not, influencing how the suspects will be perceived.

Secure the freedom of the Nation. Find the terrorists so the citizens of the Nation can sleep safe, knowing Orwell is watching over them.

We’re planning to update our progress regularly until the release of the game which is currently scheduled to be later this year. Be sure to follow osmoticstudios or orwell_game (or both) on Twitter. We hope you are as excited about the game as we are making it!

Press

If you’re from the press, we’d be very happy to be able to talk to you about the game. Our Mel will also attend Gamescom, so if you are going to be present there or if you would just like to talk to us about the game, contact press@surpriseattackgames.com.